Choir touring Egypt in May

March 20, 2013

Photo by Eddie Barksdale '13

Cappella Nova, one of three choral groups on campus, will be traveling to Egypt this May for its first international tour in more than 30 years.

“We’re really excited about this concert tour,” said Katherine FitzGibbon, assistant professor of music and Cappella Nova conductor. “We chose Egypt because of the rich cultural history and because of the fortuitous timing: we have a senior student in Cappella Nova, Zein Hassanein, who grew up in Cairo.”

The 31-member mixed choir will perform multiple times in both Cairo and Luxor. Beyond performing and sightseeing, the students will have the chance to advance their musical education while abroad.

“We have the opportunity to study with master musicians who specialize in North African singing traditions while we are there,” Fitzgibbon said. “We will also be able to do some sightseeing with an Egyptologist guide.”

The trip will take place from May 19 until May 30, with students leaving the day after graduation. Along with FitzGibbon, several students are playing an active role in planning the trip.

“I am incredibly excited to share my homeland with my friends in Cappella Nova,” Zein Hassanein CAS ’13 said. “There is so much to learn historically, politically, and artistically from Egypt and the Egyptian people, and I am thrilled to help direct this journey.”

To support the tour, Cappella Nova has recorded a CD, Cappella Nova Live in Concert, that is available through the music department and the Lewis & Clark Bookstore. Plans for a benefit evening later in the spring are being finalized.

For more information, or if you would like to donate to the Egypt Tour Scholarship Fund, please visit the tour website.